Xiaomi‘s ecological chain company Huami, maker of the popular Amazfit range of smart wearables and Mi Band, has announced that it would no longer be able to release the Amazfit Verge 2 ECG version and Avengers edition as scheduled.
The Amazfit Verge 2 was launched on July 11 and is available in three variants; a regular version, an ECG version and Avengers customized edition. The regular Verge 2 was immediately available to pre-order but the ECG and Avengers Limited Edition was billed to go on sale at the end of July. That obviously didn’t happen. The company cites the complexity of the ceramic body and the high processing difficulty for the inability to meet up with the schedule. A new sales date will be communicated later.
The Amazfit Verge 2 smartwatch comes with a spectacular design manufactured using a new material different from the plastic body which the first-gen Verge utilises. It has a Microcrystalline zirconium ceramic body with skin texture and extremely high hardness. Huami says the ceramic body comes out after 35 days of precision processing and that it wet through 24 complex processes. We expect the company to speed up the manufacturing process as more units get products.
A few hours ago, the world’s second smartphone with the new flagship Snapdragon 855+ chipset by Qualcomm went official, and it is a gaming smartphone just like the first. We are referring to the Black Shark 2 Pro by Xiaomi’s gaming-centric sub-brand. The world’s first gaming phone with Snapdragon 855+ is the Asus ROG Phone 2 and both deliver the most amazing performance you can currently expect on a mobile phone for daily use, productivity and videogames. We think it makes a lot of sense to show you an in-depth comparison between these two handsets in order to let you understand if it is worth spending more for a device with more features or saving money for a device with fewer features but the same speed and similar gaming experience on the performance side.
Dual 48 + 12 MP f/1.8 and f/2.2
20 MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual 48 + 13 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4
24 MP f/2.2 front camera
BATTERY
4000 mAh
Fast charging 27W
6000 mAh, Fast Charging 30W, Reverse Charging 10W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot
Dual SIM slot
Design
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is not a big upgrade over the vanilla Black Shark 2, but the design is one a few things which changes, with additional LED lights and a renewed back cover. However, it is still not at the same level as the Asus ROG Phone 2, at least according to my tastes. The Asus flagship rocks better materials: it is composed of a glass back and an aluminum body and it even has those comfortable AirTriggers to enhance the gaming experience, as well as the support to a lot of external accessories. LED lights are obviously not missing, but note that Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is a lot more compact and lightweight than its rival.
Display
When it comes to the display there is no challenge: Asus ROG Phone 2 is a clear winner. First of all, it has a bigger panel. Secondly, it comes with a better color reproduction thanks to both a high 108 percent DCI-P3 coverage and the HDR10 technology. Last but not least, the display has a 120 Hz refresh ratio which is something amazing for a gaming phone. And it even features 240 Hz touch sensing for more reactive gameplay. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro lacks a lot of these things. It still comes with high DCI-P3 coverage (100 percent) and 240 Hz touch sensing, but it does not have 120 Hz refresh ratio and it is not even HDR10-compliant.
Specs & Software
Performance is the key feature of these devices: they are both equipped with the best processor out there: an octa-core Snapdragon 855 Plus which offers 15 percent more graphics performance compared to its predecessor, as well as a higher clock frequency. With its UFS 3.0 storage, Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro just obtained the highest score ever seen on AnTuTu (500k), but we believe Asus ROG Phone 2 will be at the same level. Note that the latter will even allow users to switch between a stock Android user interface and a customized one for true gamers.
Camera
These are not camera phones, but it does not mean that they have a bad camera quality. They are more or less at the same level with a main 48 MP sensor without OIS, as well as a secondary telephoto sensor. Note that Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro comes with 1920 fps super slow motion video recording, while Asus ROG Phone 2 has a laser autofocus mechanism. Do you prefer better photos or better videos?
Here Asus ROG Phone 2 wins because it is not a simple battery phone: it is more like a power bank. It is equipped with a mammoth 6000 mAh battery which even supports reverse wireless charging for a lot of hours of gameplay. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro comes with a standard 4000 mAh battery, so there is definitely no challenge. Asus ROG Phone 2 has even a faster charging technology, but given that its battery is a lot bigger, it will never reach 100 percent before its opponent.
Price
Asus ROG Phone 2 just launched in China with a €900/$1000 starting price, while Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro costs just €450/$500 in its most affordable variant. Asus ROG Phone 2 is a lot better than its opponent due to the support to external accessories, a better display, a better build quality, and even a bigger battery and more complete software. But if you only care about performance and not about the features mentioned above, then you should go for the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro as it is offered at half of the price.
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro vs Asus ROG Phone 2: PRO and CONS
Xiaomi teased a portable MIJIA Juicer a few days back with the teaser pointing to a July 31 launch. The company has now officially launched the juicer for crowdfunding on Xiaomi Mall. It carries an 89 yuan ($13) price tag which is lower than what it will sell eventually (99 yuan).
The MIJIA Juicer adopts a minimalist design which has turned out to be the hallmark of all Xioami products. They keep it simple, yet beautiful. It is also portable and should be easy to carry around. Moreso, you don’t need a power supply to get a glass of fresh juice as it uses battery power. The battery capacity wasn’t disclosed but it is rechargeable and comes with 2 hours fast charging.
The device is basically a portable blender with a 4-speed motor. The rotor blades are also very sharp in order to blend the fruits smoothly.
Further, the juicer has a 350ML cup and takes just 40 seconds to blend the fresh fruits. A fully charged battery can blend 15 cups of juice which is impressive.
ASUS ROG 2, the second-generation gaming smartphone from Taiwanese electronics giant ASUS officially went on sale for the first time at 0.00 hours on July 31. The ROG 2 was available in 8GB+128GB version clutching a 3499 yuan ($508) price tag as well as the 12GB+512GB version selling for 5999 yuan (~$870).
The ROG 2 sales apparently didn’t last for long as all available units were reportedly sold out. The next round of sales took place also today at 10 AM and the fate was not any different. This isn’t much of a surprise, considering that the ASUS ROG 2 received over 2.33 million registrations on JD.com in China.
The ROG 2 is the first device to launch with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855+ chipset. This happens to be the fastest SoC around and it is just enough to handle extreme gaming. The device features a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 10-bit HDR, Gorilla Glass 6 protection, 1ms response time, a 49ms touch latency, and a touch sampling rate of 240Hz.
It also packs stereo front-facing speakers with DTS:X 7.1 surround sound, an NXP 9874 Smart Amplifier, a 24MP front-facing camera, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. At the rear is a 48MP Sony IMX586 primary camera paired with a 13MP super wide-angle camera. It also has improved touch-sensitive triggers on the side with better haptic feedback, among other powerful hardware.
It is that time of the year when company’s post their financial results for the second quarter and first half of the year. Electronics giant, Samsung has published its financial result for the second quarter of the year spanning April to June. The company had earlier this month posted guidance which predicted how the company would fare. The financial result isn’t any different from the actual financial result.
The most noteworthy aspect is that Samsung’s operating profit fell by 56% year over year, peaking at KRW 6.6 trillion ($5.56 billion). This is way lower than the KRW 14.87 trillion ($13.3 billion) the company got in Q2 2018.
Apart from the general slump in revenue, Samsung’s mobile phone business also saw a 42% decrease in profit due to slow sales in the flagship sector. This is despite an increase in total smartphone shipments. However, revenue from the mobile phone sector was up 8% as a result of solid sales from the midrange A-series models.
Further, the semiconductor business also continued its sluggish growth as a result of weak demand and slumping prices in the memory chip market. The company racked in KRW 16.09 trillion ($13.6 billion) in revenue compared to KRW 21.99 trillion ($18.59 billion) YoY. Samsung expects demand for NAND and DRAM components to increase in the second half of 2019. Thus, it is eyeing a recovery for the semiconductor business.
Samsung Display also continued its winning ways as the company racked in KRW 7.62 trillion ($6.64 billion) in profits, a significant improvement over last year’s Q2 revenue of KRW 5.67 trillion ($4.79 billion). The mobile phone industry is presently experiencing a shift to OLED panels for flagship models. Samsung will be one of the major beneficiaries of this development.
The China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference or ChinaJoy as it is popularly called is the largest gaming and digital entertainment exhibition in China and Asia at large. Every year, it holds in Shanghai, and this year will be no different.
The four-day event is an opportunity for manufacturers, investors and fans to connect. This year’s edition will begin on Friday, August 2, and end on Monday, August 5.
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Xiaomi Mi 9 Transparent Edition ChinaJoy
Vivo iQOO ChinaJoy
OPPO Reno 10x Zoom ChinaJoy
Nubia Red Magic 3 ChinaJoy
Your favorite phone manufacturers will be attending and a few of them have even released posters confirming their presence. The thing is that all the posters look the same. They share the same design save for the manufacturer’s name, the phone in the picture and the text in the images.
Nubia, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi are those who have confirmed they will be attending.
What is common to all four posters is the Qualcomm logo at the top and the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming logo at the bottom.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming was announced this year. It is a set of hardware and software features that “transforms premium mobile devices into gaming machines”. The technology is only available on phones powered by the Snapdragon 855.
These four phones will be on display at the expo, and if you are attending, you should be able to take them for a spin.
Huawei had hinted earlier this month that it is targeting to sell 20 million Honor 9X smartphones. That may sound like a tall order but we’re talking of Huawei. The company knows how to slap aesthetically beautiful designs, sturdy hardware and modest prices on smartphones. The Honor 9X and 9X Pro are examples of such sleek Huawei phones but only the 9X is on sale presently. Thus, it is not surprising that the new premium mid-ranger is creating some stunning records.
It was reported yesterday that the company claimed to have sold 100,000 units of the Honor 9X in the first two minutes of its sales. Honor has come out to reveal that 300,000 units of the 9X were shipped in the first day of its sales. We want to believe this figure represents the available stock as there could have been more orders.
This record sales put the Honor device in a good pedestal to equal or even surpass the record set by last year’s Honor 8X which sold 10 million units in just 173 days. The period which the 9X sold 100,000 units is twice as fast as the time used by the Honor 8X. So, we might be in for another record-breaker.
It won’t be much of a surprise, though, considering the high-end features the smartphone packs. Specs-wise, the device packs the latest Kirin 810 chipset, built on the 7 nm process, has a 48 MP main camera and a huge 6.59-inch LCD screen with Full HD+ resolution. The 9X also comes with a 4,000 mAh battery and starts at 1,399 yuan ($203) for the 4GB+64 GB variant, sold in Black or Blue. The Honor 9X Pro is scheduled to be launched for sale on August 9. We don’t expect anything short of record sales.
South Korean tech giant LG has announced its financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2019. The result show record-high performance in some aspects but the mobile phone division still disappoints.
The report shows that sales of the company’s product in H1 2019 went down 21.3%, compared with the same period last year. However, on a quarterly basis, sales were up 6.8%. LG gave the reason for the poor H1 2019 result to be the aggressive pricing by Chinese competitors.
Specifically, the Mobile division recorded second-quarter 2019 sales of KRW 1.61 trillion (USD 1.38 billion), 21.3 percent lower than the same period last year due to stagnant demand in the smartphone market and continued aggressive pricing by Chinese brands. Sales increased 6.8 percent from the first quarter but the business united reported an operating loss of KRW 313 billion (USD 268.4 million) as a result of higher marketing investment to support the launch of new models and additional costs related to relocating smartphone production to Vietnam.
The Home Appliance & Air Solution Company reported record sales of KRW 6.10 trillion (USD 5.23 billion) in the second quarter, the highest for the business unit in the history of LG Electronics. Revenue growth was especially strong in Korea and regions such as North America, Europe and the Middle East, increasing 16.1 percent from the second quarter of 2018. Operating income of KRW 717.5 billion (USD 615.3 million) was the highest ever for the April-June period.
Overall, the company’s financial result was 4.1% higher in sales and 15.4% in operational income. The business unit recorded strong profitability on the back of stable growth, increased sales of high demand products such as air conditioners and continuous cost reduction activities.
CanJam is the world’s premier headphone audio show with annual events in New York City, Singapore, Los Angeles, London, and Shanghai, and during the London stop, FiiO, as one of the privileged exhibitors, launched their new flagship portable player, M11 Pro.
Building on the success of the M11, the new model features dual AKM AK4497EQ DACs. Compared to its dual AK4493 in its predecessor, not only has the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) been increased, but distortion has also been reduced by 3dB for greatly improved sound quality. Besides an excellent audio player, it is a capable Bluetooth amplifier too as it adopts a THX-AAA amplifier chipset. When set to be in the Bluetooth receiver mode, the M11pro transforms into a high-quality Bluetooth amplifier, with significantly better frequency response, as well as lower distortion, noise floor, and crosstalk compared to typical Bluetooth solutions. On top of that, the M11pro can also output any received Bluetooth signals through the coaxial out to an external decoder.
Besides the audio hardware, the M11 Pro comes with 64GB of storage as well as 3GB of RAM that ensures smooth multitasking. In addition to the internal storage, the device can host 2 microSD cards up to 4TB in total. Thousands of lossless music files can be stored in a space like that. What’s more, the battery capacity increased to 4370mAh and supports the MediaTek Pump Express quick charging protocol. The battery can give you 50 days of standby or 13 hours of continuous playback. You can check all the FiiO products here.
This year, thanks to Sony and Samsung, camera tech in smartphones made a big improvement step as both companies released their 48MP sensors. If the evolution continues, it is safe to say that with the help of software too, smartphone cameras will be competitive to DSLR cameras in the next decade. The same 48MP sensor (we don’t know if the sensor comes from Sony or Samsung yet) appears in the latest teaser video of the upcoming UMIDIGI X. It will feature a triple camera on the back with one ultra-wide lens and AI support. The official release will take place on August 5th where we’ll learn all the details.
In the video, UMIDIGI claims that you don’t have to carry any heavy equipment like a DSLR camera or a bulky lens as the UMIDIGI X with its triple camera setup and AI support has got you covered. The 48MP main camera will help you catch more details, the AI function will optimize your photos without the need of editing on a computer, while the ultra-wide-angle lens will help you see more in a single shot. The video also confirms the clean back cover design for UMIDIGI X.
Besides the 48MP ultra-wide AI triple camera, in previous leaks, the UMIDIGI X has already been confirmed to house the latest optical in-display fingerprint sensor and come with a 6.35″ AMOLED display with a small waterdrop notch, as well as a slim body despite the big, 4150mAh battery and NFC it comes with.
The X will be revealed together with the company’s new truly wireless earphones -Upods- next Monday, before Samsung launches its expensive flagship, Galaxy Note 10. More details are going to surface before the launch but if you want to be among the first to get the UMIDIGI X, you can try your luck in the Giveaway Event currently running.
As promised, Samsung has announced the Galaxy Tab S6. The launch was a silent one that was done on the official website. The new flagship tablet has a sleek new design, dual rear cameras, and a new S Pen. It is also the first tablet in the world to have an in-display fingerprint sensor.
Design
The Galaxy Tab S6 is thinner when compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S4. It measures just 5.7mm, 0.2mm thicker than the Galaxy Tab S5e which is Samsung’s thinnest tablet. The slimmer body has resulted in a smaller battery. But even with a 7040mAh battery, Samsung says you should get 15 hours of video playback. That is more than enough for you to binge-watch the latest season of La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) and still have enough battery life to get some work done. The Galaxy Tab S6 is also light at 420 grams.
The Galaxy Tab S6 sports dual rear-cameras, a first for the series. There are also visible antenna lines on the back which actually give it a nice look. The tablet comes in three gorgeous colors – Cloud Blue, Rose Blush, and Mountain Gray with a matching S pen. Talking about the S Pen, it connects via Bluetooth and attaches magnetically to a groove on the back where it also charges.
13MP f/2.0 wide-angle primary camera with Live Focus + 5MP f/2.2 123° ultra-wide secondary camera.
8MP F/2.0 front-facing camera with Live Focus.
Optical in-display fingerprint scanner and face recognition.
Single SIM (nano)
Bluetooth S Pen with 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and support for Air Actions (hand gestures to control video playback, presentations and more without touching the tablet).
AKG-tuned quad speakers.
7040mAh battery with support for fast charging via USB-C. Also charges via the popo charging dock which is sold separately. USB-C port also supports HDMI out.
Bixby, Samsung DeX, BookCover Keyboard (sold separately) with a trackpad and a dedicated DeX key.
Android 9 Pie.
Price and Availability
The Galaxy Tab S6 is priced at $649 for the 128GB version and $729 for the 256GB version. Samsung says it will be available online and in stores in late August in select markets. Owners will get 4 free months of YouTube Premium and 3 free months of Spotify Premium.
Gearbest is touted as one of China’s best online stores for electronic items. Living up to this reputation, the Chinese online store comes up with amazing promotions and unmissable deals from time to time.
Keeping in line with this, Gearbest has launched The Power of Youth Flash Sale. Thanks to the promo, you can avail a whopping 50 percent off daily on a wide selection of popular products, starting from August 5th. But that’s not all.
To simplify and expedite the search process, these heavily discounted products have carefully been arranged in various categories. The 50% OFF DAILY (Limited) section, for instance, comprises miscellaneous items including the Lenovo HS10 Smart body fat scale, 2 in 1 for Apple Pill Capsule Talk Adapter Call Charge, etc.
More importantly, you can get your tech greedy hands on these items without emptying your pocket. For example, the Huawei Honor 4 Sports Smartband that normally sells for $53.99 can now be yours for a considerably reduced price of just $14.99.
Specific coupons have been assigned to some of these products. You can use these coupons to save money before placing your order. The 2 in 1 for Apple Pill Capsule Talk Adapter Call Charge would normally set you back $3.97, but you can reduce its retail price to just $1.89 simply by applying a coupon code during the checkout process.
The next section dubbed, COOL COUPONS is where you can take full advantage of coupon codes and save a significant amount of money on a slew of well-received products. For example, the OnePlus 7 4G phablet usually sells for $610.94 but is currently available for just $469.99.
You can even extend this 23 percent discount with the help of coupon code GBONEPLUS7. The aforesaid coupon helps you bring the already lowered selling price of the OnePlus 7 further down to just $455.99. Note there will be a limited number of coupons up for grabs during the activity period.
The following section called FLASH SALE has further been divided into multiple sub-categories including Phones & Laptops, RC Toys & Outdoor, Computer & Electronics, Smart Life, and Home Garden & Toys. Each sub-category is teeming with amazing products that you can buy at lowered prices.
Brand conscious buyers can head straight to the next category called EPIC MARKDOWNS. This section features products from leading brands like Amazfit, Xiaomi, and Lenovo. Aside from that, you can take advantage of fast shipping deals and grab 20 percent off when you buy two items in the other sections.
Dubbed as the NEW ARRIVAL, the concluding section is crammed with amazing products that would normally set you back a pretty penny, but have currently gone up for sale carrying reduced price tags. You can visit this link to check out the promotion page before the event comes to an end on August 11th.
Vivo has unveiled a new smartphone called Vivo Z5 in China today. It has arrived as an advanced version of the Vivo Z5x phone that was made official in the country in May. The major highlights of the Vivo Z5 include tall aspect display with in-screen fingerprint sensor, Snapdragon 712 chipset, 48-megapixel triple rear cameras and big battery.
Vivo Z5 Specifications and Features
The Vivo Z5 measures 159.53 x 75.23 x 8.13mm and it weighs 189.6 grams. The smartphone features a high gloss polycarbonate chassis like the Vivo Z5x. It is fitted with a waterdrop-style notch enabled 6.38-inch AMOLED display that produces 1080 x 2340 pixels full HD+ resolution. The elongated screen offers an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Vivo has added a quick responding in-display fingerprint reader on the device. The Vivo Z5 offers 90 percent screen-to-body ratio and it carries support for features like Always-on Display and DC dimming.
The Snapdragon 712 chipset is present under the hood of the Vivo Z5 smartphone. It is accompanied by 6 GB and 8 GB of RAM. The smartphone comes with up to 256 GB of UFS 2.1 storage. The smartphone does not feature a microSD card slot. It is backed by a 4,500mAh battery that is equipped with support for 22.5W FlashCharge technology through USB-C. It can be also for reverse charging other devices.
There is a triple camera setup on the rear shell of the Vivo Z5 smartphone. It possesses a primary lens of 48-megapixel with f/1.8 aperture, a 120-degree 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. There is a front-facing camera of 32-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture on the device. In darker environments, the Vivo Z5 makes use of 4-in-1 pixel merging technology for shooting brighter selfies.
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Vivo Z5 Forest Night
Vivo Z5
Vivo Z5 Aurora Illusion
Vivo Z5
Vivo Z5 Holographic Illusion
Vivo Z5
The Vivo Z5 boots to FunTouch OS 9 flavored Android 9 Pie OS. The Multi-Turbo system enhances the phone’s performance and throttles the graphics while gaming. There is a dedicated hardware key for accessing the Jovi AI smart assistant. The other features available on the Vivo Z5 are dual SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS and 3.5mm audio jack.
Vivo Z5 Price and Availability
The Vivo Z5 has arrived in four models in China such as:
6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – 1,598 Yuan (~$232)
6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 1,898 Yuan (~$275)
6 GB RAM + 256 GB storage – 1,998 Yuan (~$290)
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 2,298 Yuan (~$334)
The pre-orders of the Vivo Z5 starts from Aug. 1 through leading e-commerce platforms in the country. It will be made available for purchase for the first time on Aug. 6. It can be bought in colors like Forest Night, Aurora Illusion and Holographic Illusion.
It is not uncommon for Huawei to launch the Honor smartphones in some region under the Huawei brand name. There are speculations that scenario may play out yet again in Malaysia where the Honor 20 may launch as Huawei Nova 5T.
A device has just been certified in Malaysia bearing the moniker Huawei Nova 5T and having the model number YAL-L21. Interestingly, the Honor 20 which is already available globally comes with the same model- YAL-L21. If this turns out to be true, the device could be the first Nova 5 series smartphone to be launched outside China.
The Honor 20 was initially announced with four cameras on the back and a punch-hole design for the selfie shooter. It is slightly different from the Honor 20 Pro but still comes with the high-end Kirin 980 chipset. The device was launched in the thick of the trade war between the U.S. and China and so no release date was fixed. However, the phone was released in Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East a month later.
While the phone costs around $500 in Europe, it carries a rather cheaper MYR1,699 (about $410) price in Malaysia. The company may also release the Honor 20 Pro under a different moniker but we are not so sure about that.
Last week, we reported that Xiaomi was planning to launch the Mi A3 mid-range smartphone in Malaysia. The company has indeed launched the device in the South Asia country. The Mi A3 comes with a price tag of RM899 ($220) for the 4GB+64GB model and RM999 ($245) for the 4GB+128GB variant. The device will go on sale in Malaysia from August 3 through online retailers Lazada and Shopee, as well as via Mi Stores.
The company also launched the Mi Band 4 which it christened Mi Smart Band 4, a name the wearable device adopts in markets outside China. On its part, the Mi Smart Band 4 is priced at RM149 ($35) and is currently available for purchase through Lazada, Shopee, and Mi Stores in the country.
As a reminder, the device features 6.088-inch HD+ display with an in-display fingerprint sensor, Snapdragon 665 processor, and a large 4030mAh battery. The triple cameras remain the same as the Mi CC9e which includes a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. At the front, there is a 32MP selfie sensor. The phone comes in two memory versions – 4GB+64GB and 4GB+128GB.
Samsung has over the years teamed up with US carrier AT&T to launch an Active version of its Galaxy S flagship phones. The Galaxy Active usually features a shatter-resistant screen and military-grade body with durable metal frame. But last year, there were rumours that the Galaxy S9 Active won’t be launched and that the series has been discontinued. Indeed, the Galaxy S9 Active wasn’t launched but there are speculations Samsung will still launch a rugged smartphone soon. An official-looking press render of what’s said to be the Samsung Galaxy Active has appeared online.
The Galaxy Active is the same phone that was spotted at MWC in February this year and believed to be a version of the regular Galaxy S9 with a rugged build. The device is said to feature an Exynos 9810 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM just like the regular S9. The rugged phone is also tipped to retain the S9’s camera setup. However, the device will pack a smaller 5.2-inch display and a bigger 4500mAh battery.
In addition, the Galaxy Active will sport physical navigation buttons placed below the display. There will also be a fingerprint scanner at the left side of the camera instead of at the back.
The render also contains a clue that the device will be launched on August 9 but there is no official word from Samsung just yet.
Thanks to a TENAA listing, we now know the full specs of the Nubia Z20. Now, TENAA has updated the listing with images and we also get a look at the phone’s design before it launches next month.
The Nubia Z20 will be Nubia‘s second dual-screen smartphone (counting the Nubia X and Nubia X 5G as one). For this second-generation dual-screen phone, Nubia has made some changes.
First, the main screen is now OLED too instead of LCD like that of the Nubia X. It is bigger at 6.42-inches and the photo uploaded by TENAA shows that it is curved on both sides. Of course, there is no notch nor punch-hole display which is what Nubia wants to avoid in the first place, hence the dual-screen design.
The front view of the phone also confirms that the Nubia Z20 is sporting the same dual fingerprint design of the Nubia X. As you can see, there are indentations on both sides of the phone.
There is only one side image (of the left), so we only get to see one fingerprint scanner clearly. Above that scanner is the SIM tray slot. There is no MicroSD card slot but Nubia will offer the phone in three variants – 6 + 128GB, 8 + 256GB, and 12 + 512GB.
The last image is of the phone’s rear where the smaller 5.1-inch OLED display resides. The rear has also undergone some major redesigns. The upper part is occupied by the cameras which are three now. They are arranged horizontally in a similar fashion to that of the Galaxy S10+ but in a pill-shaped housing. On each side of the housing is an LED flash.
There are no photos of the top and bottom. But going by the Nubia X, we do not think the Z20 will have an audio jack. There will be a USB Type-C port at the bottom for data transfer and charging, and the TENAA listing says the 3900mAh battery supports fast charging.
The phone will be available in a single color variant which is a mix of red and black. It will have a Snapdragon 855+ processor, run Android 9 Pie out of the box and have a 48MP + 8MP + 16MP triple camera setup.
It’s been only a few days since the OnePlus 7 series launch, and the developers have even achieved root access on the OnePlus 7 Pro. XDA member mauronofrio extended support of unofficial TWRP for OnePlus 7 Pro. Now users can easily install TWRP on OnePlus 7 Pro to get root access with Magisk or SuperSu. It is always recommended to root Android phone to customize the whole firmware.
OnePus 7 Pro carries a massive 6.67-inch QHD+ Fluid AMOLED curved display with a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC powers it with RAM upto 12GB and 256 UFS 3.0 internal storage. There’s a triple rear camera module carrying a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with OIS and EIS, an 8 MP Telephoto lens and a 16 MP 117-degree ultra-wide angle camera. On the front, there’s a 16MP pop-up selfie camera. It packs a 4000 mAh battery with Warp Charge 30.
The proud owner of OnePlus 7 Pro can now customize their smartphones using custom recoveries, ROMs, Mods, and Kernels using TWRP. It stands for TeamWin Recovery Project and is an open-source custom recovery for Android devices. If you’re a first-timer, then follow the guide to install TWRP on OnePlus 7 Pro and then root carefully.
Note: Installing custom recovery will void your warranty. It is recommended to follow the steps carefully. Otherwise, you may brick your device. GizmoChina is not responsible for any kind damage or data loss. You should proceed at your own risk.
Guide to Install TWRP on OnePlus 7 Pro
This guide is solely for OnePlus 7 Pro, using the same recovery on other devices will lead to damage. Before flashing TWRP, users need to go through the requirements below.
Rooted OnePlus 7 Pro boot image: OOS 9.5.3 Patched | OOS 9.5.4 Patched (bymauronofrio xda) Note: If your device is running on Oxygen OS 9.5.3, then download OOS 9.5.3 patched boot image, otherwise use the OOS 9.5.4 for Oxygen OS 9.5.4.
Enable USB Debugging and connect your device with Computer.
Open Command prompt or PowerShell by going to the extracted ADB Folder in your PC/Laptop.
Now connect your Mobile with the Computer via USB.
Copy TWRP zip and Magisk Manager apk file into phone’s internal storage.
Reboot your device into bootloader by typing the command in CMD:
adb reboot bootloader
Check the slot which is active by typing the command below:
fastboot getvar current-slot
Select the non-active slot and change slot-name with actual slot name (delete inverted commas also).
fastboot --set-active="slot name"
Now flash the TWRP on your device by replacing the recovery-name.
fastboot flash recovery recovery-name.img
Now reboot the device from TWRP Recovery, and select the previously active slot by:
fastboot --set-active="slot name"
Now Go back and Install the TWRP Installer.
Once done, then reboot.
You have successfully installed OnePlus 7 Pro on OnePlus 7 Pro.
How to root OnePlus 7 Pro (Magisk)
Once you have successfully installed TWRP on OnePlus 7 Pro, you can proceed to root Oneplus 7 Pro. Follow the steps below carefully
Install Magisk apk on OnePlus 7 Pro.
Now connect your PC with mobile.
Reboot your device into bootloader, and open the command prompt by pressing shift+right-click and open “Windows Powershell” or ” open command windows here.”
adb reboot bootloader
After the device is successfully connected, type the fastboot command to flash patched boot image:
fastboot flash boot boot_patched.img
fastboot reboot
You’ve successfully rooted OnePlus 7 Pro with Magisk. If there’s any query, you are open to ask below.
Yesterday, Xiaomi’s gaming brand Black Shark launched the Black Shark 2 Pro, its next-generation gaming phone. The gaming phone’s main highlight is no doubt the Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset which it packs. The design is another beautiful one as we can see from these hands-on pictures hitting us courtesy of Chinese blog MyDrivers. Let’s take a look at the design.
Black Shark 2 Pro utilises a mix of metal and glass which enhances the aesthetics while also improving the phone’s cooling and antenna performance. The design is almost similar to the previous-gen model except for some improvement in the material used. In addition, the black shark still retains the breathing light logo at the back and LED strips on both sides. The new design is inspired by the X-design language of a Formula 1 sports car.
The streamer illusion lighting system illuminates during gameplay and for incoming call message. In the scenes such as music, you can experience the cool and changeable color.
The device has a volume rockers at the left side of the display while at the right side is the power button and a dedicated button which we haven’t figured out the purpose. The device also uses a Type-C port but lacks a 3.5mm audio jack. Xiaomi is shipping the phone with a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter.
The Black Shark 2 Pro keeps the 6.39-inch Samsung AMOLED display of its sibling with some new features. It has DCI-P3 color gamut, DC Dimming 2.0, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and the touch response speed is now 34.7ms an improvement from the previous generation’s 43.5ms.
There are a 20MP selfie camera and 48MP + 12MP dual rear cameras. The Black Shark 2 Pro also has an in-display fingerprint scanner and packs a 4000mAh battery with support for 27W fast-charging technology. The phone comes in five colors; Black, Ice Silver, Blue with an orange accent, Purple, and a Bright Orange. Check out more pictures of the Ice Silver variant from below.
Huawei, last week, officially launched its first commercial 5G phone. The Mate 20X 5G comes with several upgrades over the Mate 20X and even the Mate 20 Pro. One of these is the Balong 5000 modem that can achieve peak download speeds of 4.6Gbps in the sub-6Hz low-frequency band, as well as other interesting components. iFixIt has afforded an opportunity to see what lies inside the Mate 20X 5G.
The Mate 20X 5G may look almost similar to the Mate 20X on the outside but the internal components can’t be arranged the same. One conspicuous feature on the device is the physical fingerprint sensor at the bottom of the rear cameras. Also, the device doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio jack, something that was present in the regular version. Compared to the Mate 20 Pro, the Mate 20 X (5G) looks bigger.
The disassembly process begins with the removal of the SIM card slots. Later on, a pry tool is used to remove the back cover. Interestingly, the back cover comes off without heating. That is probably because the adhesive is yet to dry.
There are a lot of screws inside the mobile phone, keeping in place features such as NFC coils, antennas and graphite thermal pads. Two of the screws are very well hidden, one behind the protective sticker and the other under the camera flash.
The motherboard of the device is quite easy to disassemble, and the same is true for the triple rear cameras.
In the initial disassembly, iFixit did not find the Balong 5000 modem, which is the “core” of this 5G phone. But later on, after removing a memory chip, the Kirin 980 (HiSilicon Hi3680 GFCV150) was found underneath. So iFixit began to remove the multiple memory chips on the motherboard and finally, the Balong 5000 (HiSilicon Hi9500 GFCV101) after knocking out a chip.
Interestingly, the Balong 5000 is equipped with proprietary memory, which is the Samsung LPDDR4X chip that has just been knocked out. It has a 3GB size and seems to be a data buffer.
Next is the battery which has instructions on the body to guide you on how to disassemble. iFixit thinks this is very good because it makes disassembly easier. There was no heating this time. This battery is exactly the same as the Mate 20 Pro, which is 16.04 watt-hours (4200 mAh). This battery is much lower than the Mate 20 X. The Mate 20 X uses a 19.1 watt-hour (5000 mAh) battery.
Next is the screen, which is very tightly glued, but it is easy to remove as soon as it is heated. There is nothing extra inside (screen fingerprint sensor, etc.), only the screen and the metal middle frame, the screen is made by Samsung.
Like the Mate 20X, there is a soaking plate on the aluminium frame behind the graphite foil inside. The above is the disassembly of Huawei Mate 20 X (5G), most of which are Huawei’s own chips and Asian manufacturers’ products (Samsung, Toshiba). In the end, iFixit gave a fixability score of 4 points, which means it is not easy to disassemble.
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